GRAPHIC PICS of my day learning to caponize

[Toast n Jelly]

Quote: Hope you have enough room in your freezer lol. Guess you'll be selling or gifting some.

 

[AletaG]

Hope you have enough room in your freezer lol. Guess you'll be selling or gifting some.

LOL. I have an acquaintance out this way that raises about 2doz capons every quarter. For himself and his wife. He loves chicken. Obviously. And he just processes a few at a time... 'cause that's one of the nice things about capons, you don't HAVE to process 'em all at the same time, and I've been trying to get him to go FF to decrease his food costs Then it makes even more sense. 'course, I'm going to be buying schmalz off him until I can figure this out for myself...

 

[BCMaraniac]

Hope you have enough room in your freezer lol. Guess you'll be selling or gifting some.

LOL. I HAVE been letting my freezer contents dwindle a good bit. I don't figure I will be selling, since I don't have any certification to do so, but I have two adult children who are getting their feet under them after college, so I have to make sure they are fed. My son thinks there is no other meat than chicken(well, except for T-bones). I have told him his entire life that if chicken were ever outlawed, then he would end up in prison....LOL. I guess the long and short of it is that we eat a LOT of chicken. I am sure I will gift some, though.

I am poulardizing 5 pullets this week, and I still have have 8 cockerels that I have to decide what to do with, either caponize or butcher in a few weeks since I had broody hens that disappeared and showed back up with babies.

 

[Maggiesdad]

I have a question. After caponizing do the males have any male traits? Like keeping the girls in line & together.

Mine are super laid back, lower than the girls in pecking order.

First in the coop in the evening.

 

[BCMaraniac]

I have a question. After caponizing do the males have any male traits? Like keeping the girls in line & together.

From everything I have read about capons, they sort of become social outcasts of the flock, which is why they often will gravitate toward chicks who accept them without reservation. It is a well known fact that they will often raise chicks, and this is apparently why. I think having several in a flock is a good idea, so they can be outcasts "together"

The only capons that I have had exhibit male behavior are the slips, because they don't get completely castrated, and the residual part of testicle regenerates, revving up the male sex hormones. I don't have any experience with how they behave with a flock of hens because I have my capons separated from my layer flock. The slips I had did become aggressive toward the true capons, began crowing, and are now in the freezer!

 

[BCMaraniac]

Mine are super laid back, lower than the girls in pecking order.

First in the coop in the evening.

Mine are housed together without other birds, and there is NEVER a squabble. They are so quiet. The only noise I hear from them is when I go to feed them, and even that is subdued. It really is amazing to me.

 

[Kassaundra]

Mine run w/ the flock of layers, young chickens and to full roos and they fit in just fine.

 

[BCMaraniac]

Mine run w/ the flock of layers, young chickens and to full roos and they fit in just fine.

There isn't room in my layer coup for my capons, so it's a logistical problem for me. I had to make a separate area for mine. It would definitely not be good for them not to get along with the rest of your flock, because I think they would get abused if that were the case. I would imagine that the roosters don't bother them because they pose no competition for the ladies...LOL

 

[Maggiesdad]

No issue with mixed flock here - the roosters just ignore these guys. The hens will rap them on the head if they get too close when everybody is
picking up treats. Otherwise they are out foraging just like everybody else, they just never get in a hurry.

The Am. White Bresse was delishious!

 

[Toast n Jelly]

Quote: I admire all of you for learning this method and succeeding at it .